Connecticut basketball

Time for the annual exercise in futility that is the early top 25. I’ve done it for the Merc every year since 2005 — before the Hotline was created (here’s a blast from the past) — and have found it’s just as difficult as the football version despite smaller rosters.

Not only are there more teams capable of finishing high in the polls (and winning the title), but the combination of spring recruiting, transfers and NBA defections makes lineups difficult to project at this point, two days after the tournament.

Here we go …

(I retain the right to revise the projections based on draft decisions and spring recruiting. In fact, count on it.)

The center of the college basketball world in 2013-14, as it stands now, will be Frankfort, KY, a small town approximately halfway between Louisville and Lexington.

Now that NBA Draft decisions are set and spring recruiting is coming to a close, the arch-, arch-, arch-rivals from the Commonwealth stack up as the best teams in the land as we look ahead to next season.

Louisville has a very real chance to become the third repeat champion since the end of the UCLA dynasty (Duke and Florida are the others).

Kentucky has an equally strong chance to win its second title in three years.

One other note on the rankings below:

You’ll notice that I have one western team, Arizona, in the top 15 and a handful in the final 10 spots.

* Dropped Indiana out of the No. 2 position following its loss to Butler and replaced the Hoosiers with Louisville, which was third last week and has lost only to Duke.

* Indiana fell to No. 4, any easy decision compared to finding a spot for Butler, which was No. 21 on the ballot last week and has two losses (Xavier and Illinois).

It’s tough to make a case that the Bulldogs should be ranked above Indiana given everything else the teams have done thus far — head-to-head can only account for so much when the rest of the resumes aren’t equal.

I ended up slotting them ninth, five below Indiana and one below Illinois, which not only beat Butler soundly on a neutral court but is undefeated.

* Moved Arizona up four spots, to No. 6, after the victory over (previous No. 6) Florida.

* With most schools in final exams, or preparing for them, the schedules were light.

The teams on my Dec. 2 ballot were a combined 39-3, and two of the losses were to other ranked teams: Gonzaga to Illinois and UConn to North Carolina State.

The result was little movement on the ballot.

* I kept the top 10 intact, with Duke remaining on top. The Blue Devils have the best resume by a wide margin with wins over Kentucky, Ohio State, Louisville and Minnesota. (They had one of the best Novembers I can remember.)

No. 11 Gonzaga slipped a few spots after the loss to Illinois, while the Illini climbed one position, to 11th.

Intended to post this Monday but was squeezed for time by football assignments, then waited for the conclusion of Tuesday’s games for a quick comment on the Pac-12 …

Couldn’t help but notice the league is 18-1 thus far. The opposition hasn’t exactly been top-tier — the best win is probably Oregon State over New Mexico State — but one loss is better than four or five losses.

That’s especially true for a league that has suffered its share of early-season losses to RPI-killing opponents the past few years.

Like, for instance, Washington’s home loss to Albany on Tuesday.

(UCLA survived in overtime Tuesday against UC Irvine, which was coached masterfully by for Stanford assistant Russell Turner.)

The first significant tests come Monday, when WSU plays Kansas and UCLA takes on Georgetown.

* This was submitted to the AP on Sunday night but is being posted several days late due to Fiesta Bowl responsibilities, a longer-than-it-should-been day of travel, the Big Game news, yada yada yada …

* Please note: The final AP football ballots are due Monday night, following the NCG. I’ll have mine on the Hotline ASAP, with a detailed explanation of my vote.

* If you’re interested in the potential for a split national championship, here’s an interesting story on the topic.

A split title can only happen if Alabama defeats LSU. But based on the story, it seems like a real possibility if the Crimson Tide wins a close game.

* Remember: Unlike the USA Today/Coaches poll, the AP is not contractually obligated to declare the NCG winner as its national champion.